Hallo ihr Lieben: (English version below)

Anyways … I think that movie kinda made me fall in love with Chicago.

My trip to Chicago was the first highlight of 2018 for me, after I was celebrating New Year’s Eve at Times Square.

I guess the start into the new year couldn’t have been any better … except that my flight was canceled one night before the departure due to the Blizzard warnings in NYC. 😀 Luckily the problem was solved by booking a flight that left on night before my actual flight (so basically a few hours after I got the info that my first flight was cancelled). I think I have never packed my suitcase so fast before. Three hours after I booked the new flight I was at the airport, ready to take off …  and because of the flight change I got to spend one more night in Chicago than I was planning to. :))

So finally I arrived in the third biggest city of the United States … a city with fascinating architecture, art and many interesting things to see. My first impression of the city was that it is similar to New York City in many ways … it’s a modern city, with lots of skyscrapers and a very special atmosphere that I have only experienced in NYC before.

During my trip I stayed at the Hilton Chicago Magnificent Mile Suites which is located right next to the popular Magnificent Mile. The street is a popular for shopping and offers stores like Forever 21, Topshop and Victoria’s Secret but also department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue or Macy’s and designer stores like Bvlagri.

Directly on the Magnificent Mile you can find a café called Grand Luxe Cafe. If is a really nice restaurant with great food and reasonable prices. If you are lucky you get a table next to the window from where you can enjoy a nice view on the Magnificent Mile.

After a little shopping tour I went back to the hotel where I enjoyed the view from my room on the 29th floor. Moreover I went to the pool which is located on the 30th level. It’s pretty cool because the room has floor-to-ceiling windows so that you can enjoy a nice view while relaxing in the pool.

Another plus of the hotel is that the Hancock Tower is right next to it. On the 95th floor of the tower you can find the Signature Room at the 95th Restaurant from where you have an amazing view over the city and the Lake Michigan. The food is a little more expensive but not overpriced. The quality of the food and the service is really good so it’s worth it. In comparison the admission to the observatory deck of the Hancock tower is 20.50 $ per person just for the view. So in my option it’s better to go to the Signature room and to enjoy the view while having lunch or dinner.

Another really cool experience during my trip was going to the ‚beach‚ of Lake Michigan while it was completely frozen. I have never been to a beach during winter before. I loved walking on the frozen sand while the ice was cracking underneath my feet. Also the white beach looked so pretty with all the skyscrapers in the background. Of course I also have to see it in summer one day. 😉

One of the must-sees in Chicago is definitely the Millennium Park with it’s famous Cloud Gate.  The sculpture was created between 2004 and 2006 by the British artist Anish Kapoor and is also called ‚The Bean‚ because of it’s shape. It reflects and distorts the tall buildings of the city. Kapoor was inspired by liquid mercury. From the Hilton hotel it takes about 20 minutes to walk there.

Even tough Chicago is also known as the windy city I was really lucky with the weather. It was still pretty cold outside but after celebrating New Years Eve at Times Square it didn’t feel that cold to me anymore, haha.

I will come back to Chicago for sure. It is one of my favorite cities in America. Next time I would probably like to see it in Summer. 😉
To be continued …

XOXO Julia ❤